Colonial Heights Closes Its Centennial With the Traditions It Already Had
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
Colonial Heights has five events left in its centennial year. Nearly all of them are traditions the city already ran before 2026. The CH100 roster ends with a Veterans Day program, a Grand Illumination, a Christmas market, a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot and a Christmas Parade. The city's own fall calendar calls three of those "Annual" in their titles, and the chamber's race is in its fourteenth year.
That is how the city chose to mark its hundredth year. The newest things in town are going up a few minutes south, along Southpark Boulevard and on a former landfill off Charles Dimmock Parkway. Most of those won't open until after the centennial ends.
Look back over CH100 and the pattern shows all year. Summer brought Recreation & Parks block parties on June 16 and June 25, the July 4 fireworks, National Night Out on August 5, the Boys Invitational Baseball Tournament from August 6 to 16, and Americana Fest on August 22. October's entry was the Fire Department Station II open house for Fire Prevention Week on October 3. These were the city's usual standbys with a centennial label added. The partners listed on the same page are local too: the Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum, the SOVA Chamber of Commerce and the Colonial Heights Historical Society.
The holiday stretch follows the same pattern, and it starts on Wednesday, October 28.
Two of the six fall on the same Saturday at the same address, so November 21 is the night to plan around.
The city's September 2026 Dates of Interest notice sets the evening up in two parts that overlap. The Christmas Market Pop-Up opens in the Courthouse side yard at 4 p.m., with craft vendors and food. The Grand Illumination starts at 6 p.m. Since the market runs until 7, you can shop for an hour after the lights come on. An earlier city event page listed the market until 8 p.m. The September notice is newer and says 7, so plan on the earlier time.
The performers are all from the city's schools. The notice names the Colonial Heights High School and Middle School choirs and the Tussing Elementary Chorus, and says the illumination will "once again" feature them. In plenty of families, a student will be singing, so the audience will include parents and grandparents. The city's invitation reads:
"This event is a wonderful evening for families, friends, and neighbors—we hope to see you there!"
That's the City of Colonial Heights, in the same notice.
The Turkey Trot is the clearest example of a tradition the centennial borrowed. The SOVA Chamber is holding its fourteenth one. The chamber's event page lists a 9 to 11 a.m. window at the Technical Center on Conduit Road and says the race draws "hundreds of participants from across the region."
The page also lists entry options and prices:
| Option | Listed price |
|---|---|
| Adults, 18 and older | $20 |
| School students, ages 6 to 17 | $15 |
| 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk, all ages | $12 |
| School Supporter, T-shirt only | $12 |
| Team of 4 Adults | $70 |
| Family Pack, 2 adults and 4 students | $75 |
| Children 5 and under | Free, shirt not included |
Part of the description on that page still shows last year's date. Check the prices, the 1-mile option and the school donation when you sign up. Last year, $5 from every registration went to a school the runner picked, including North, Lakeview and Tussing elementaries, Colonial Heights Middle and Colonial Heights High. The chamber's registration page currently sends runners to sign up in person at 8 a.m. at the Technical Center on race morning, so leave time for that line before the 9 a.m. start. No course or finish line has been posted.
Most of the same school groups show up at both events. The choirs sing at the Courthouse, and the schools may share in the race money on Thanksgiving morning. Five days apart, the centennial's last big weekends both lean on the city's schools.
The last CH100 entry is the Annual Colonial Heights Christmas Parade, Tuesday, December 1, at 7 p.m. along The Boulevard. The city promises "festive floats, sparkling lights, holiday music, and community cheer." It also tells people to bring warm coats, which makes sense for a weeknight parade in December. The parade's event page says more details are on the way. No route, theme or grand marshal has been announced yet.
The Courthouse at 550 Boulevard is on the same road, so the illumination and the parade both happen along one stretch of town, ten days apart.
While the centennial winds down on The Boulevard, most of the new businesses are landing near Southpark Mall.
Wingstop is already open at 648 Southpark Blvd., Unit C, in Southgate Commons. The Progress-Index reported a grand-opening fundraiser from August 10 to 14.
Dave's Hot Chicken and Cheba Hut are both planned for 796 Southpark Blvd., in a Park South outparcel building that used to be a Panera. Richmond BizSense reported in September that Cheba Hut will take 2,400 square feet there and share the building with Dave's Hot Chicken. A Cheba Hut spokeswoman said the opening was expected in March, but the article doesn't give a year. Dave's Hot Chicken was first reported for the address in BizSense's July 7 restaurant roundup. Neither has announced an opening date, so don't expect them in time for holiday plans.
The largest addition in the pipeline sits on a former landfill off Charles Dimmock Parkway. The Progress-Index reported on August 19 that City Council approved selling almost 38 acres there for $1 to a Henrico County-based developer. The developer plans a $180 million hotel, restaurant and athletic complex with at least six fields. WTVR's earlier report named a SpringHill Suites and a Mellow Mushroom as part of the plan. In its report on the vote, WTVR described Council as moving forward with considering an agreement and said the project could take at least four to five years if it's approved.
On that timeline, the city's biggest new venue would open years after the centennial year ends.
If you have questions about Colonial Heights this season, in English or Spanish, Iris Hernandez is glad to help. That might be which events fit your family's schedule, or what the new projects on Southpark Boulevard and Charles Dimmock Parkway could mean for your street. Let's Connect.
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